Meet the Team

Andy is the Project Manager for English Online. In his freetime he can be either found on the tennis court or in front of a steak and guiness pie at a pub in Hong Kong. Andy has a real passion for great sites on the Net, and all things gadgety.

Brian is a site champion in Beijing in amongst managing other learning projects for the British Council. A busy dad, he occasionally has time to carry goats on his back and forth to Mongolia, via his prized possession-a BIG red Honda motorbike.

Gaifan is our marketeer and a new member of the English Online team. Her favourite content to market is Big City Small World. She loves sushi, working out and travelling. Gai Fan belives honesty and trust are the most important things in life.

Hermia maintains the site and hangs out on it everyday. She likes the networking aspect of the site. The love of her life is her cat Tai Babe which sounds like 'thigh' as he loves to sleep on other people's thighs. In her spare time she loves to eat chocolate while listening to Radiohead. Her heroes are her mother and the artist Jackson Pollock.

Ian manages and develops the content for the site. He considers himself a geek who loves to snowboard. One of his heroes is Japanese animator Miyazaki Hayao. When not in front of his prized Mac, he loves watching his football team Everton.

Mel is a site champion in Hong Kong and busily writes and responds to queries and questions on the website. Away from the keyboard, Mel relaxes with her Wii or being scared by episodes of Doctor Who. Mel thinks the best thing about English Online is the ability to connect with others.

Sarah is our site champion in Guangzhou. She likes to have fun and make friends on the site. Sarah used to have a pet turtle, but now devotes her time to swimming, yoga and most importantly her son. Sarah has a strong family bond as she feels her parents are her heroes. Besides the good weather in Guangzhou, a good read, or a meal with friends also brightens her day.

Tom is the Business Development and Marketing Manager for English Online. A one time resident of Luton, Tom is an avid Chelsea fan, and enjoys spending time at home with his cat and dog named Paris. Tom also enjoys socialising with friends and of course networking at every opportunity!

Zhu Jia is a site champion in Shanghai as well as working on offline projects for the British Council. She likes Twenty20 on the site while her free time is spent chatting with friends and doing the odd spot of travelling as can be seen in the pic. Whether on the move or at home, Zhu Jia loves to tuck into hotpot or a bowl of noodles.